A left-wing and a conservative commentator offer diametrically opposing takes on the performance of the EU during the coronavirus epidemic.

Pondering life after the coronavirus epidemic, Népszava’s Róbert Friss calls for a more integrated European Union and more global cooperation. The left-wing columnist acknowledges that globalisation has allowed the pandemic to spread fast, but rejects the idea that borders should be shut. Instead of national isolation, Friss recommends more global cooperation in order to manage health care as well as the looming economic crisis. ‘Global problems have global causes, and therefore can only be solved globally. Thus, we need a more integrated Europe,’ Friss concludes.

In Magyar Hírlap, Mariann Őry scorns the European Union for what she sees as its slow and ineffective intervention to remedy Europe’s health care and economic crises. The pro-government commentator claims the European Union has done little to help its member states. As a result, anti-EU anger is growing all across the continent, Őry writes. Once the coronavirus is defeated, the EU will need to be rethought and probably redesigned, she believes.